Producing films is a full-time job: Jimmy Sheirgill

Jimmy Sheirgill reveals that he has stopped producing Punjabi films for now; believes an actor must always stay busy.

Production isn’t just about making a film within a certain budget; it requires a lot of planning, says Jimmy.(Prasad Gori/ HT Photo)

Apart from acting in Bollywood, Jimmy Sheirgill has also starred in, and produced, several Punjabi movies over the years. However, he has decided to give up production for the time being.

“I have stopped producing films, because it is a full-time job. You have to be fully involved in every aspect. Production isn’t just about making a film within a certain budget. It requires a lot of planning,” says the actor, who is glad that sardars “aren’t subject to as much mockery in Hindi films these days”.

The secret, he says, to his calm demeanour lies in a piece of advice Gulzar once shared with him.
(Yogen Shah)

He adds, “People have started to realise that a sardar isn’t just someone who has a beard and wears a turban. They are portrayed in a strong manner in Punjabi films.”

Appreciation and criticism are part of an actor’s life. But Jimmy believes that time takes care of everything. “If a film doesn’t do well, you feel bad because you are emotionally attached to it. But by the time [it releases and gets reviewed], you have already started working on something else,” he says.

The secret, he says, to his calm demeanour lies in a piece of advice Gulzar once shared with him.

“He had said to me while I was working on Maachis (1996), ‘The worst thing for an actor is to sit at home and do nothing. He told me to keep doing something or the other, and never let the fate of my film decide my fate,’” says Jimmy.